Day6 – “I Smile”

It’s EveryDay6 time again, and this time, Day6 have not only released their A and their B-side single, but also their first full length album, called “Sunrise”. The title song of the album, is this month’s release.I can’t believe that we are halfway through this awesome project already, but I’m excited, as always, to see what Day6 will release in the future.I Smile

Song

As with all Day6 songs, the members are all involved with the composition and arrangement of the song from start to finish. This time around, Young K and Wonpil wrote the lyrics, with Sungjin assisting them with the music. Young K has shown himself to be a very talented lyricist since Day6’s debut, but has really solidified this reputation with the EveryDay6 project, as he has had a hand in writing all of the songs on the new album, with assistance here and there from other members. “I Smile” is no exception.

The lyrics of “I Smile” are earnest in a way that I haven’t really seen from Day6 before. This is a new sort of song for them. The song tells us that the members are due to meet with their ex girlfriend for the first time in a very long time, and they can’t help but be nervous about it. Even though they shouldn’t be nervous, their nerves are causing them to be excited and a little scared. They are afraid that these nerves will betray their true, secret feelings for this ex-girlfriend; that they secretly still want to be with her. They will continue to smile and laugh, to hide away these private emotions, and will slowly deal with them later on their own. The song doesn’t tell us why the relationship ended, but more that the members do want to be in relationship with the girl in question, even if it’s just a fantasy. I really love the lyrics in this song. They are sweet, and painful, and tell of how heartache can manifest itself in ways we don’t see.

For this release, I was delighted to see Sungjin start the song and continue to be a major vocal presence throughout. So often, he gets sidelined to the chorus with Jae, with Young K and Wonpil doing the heavy vocal lifting. It was lovely to hear his voice in this. It suits the tone of the song really well. Considering this is a much slower song than their previous release, “Dance Dance”, it makes sense that the members would change up the vocal style, to show how different in tone and sound both releases are. Again, as in previous releases, we don’t hear any Dowoon in this song, but I think he’s happy about!

Video

I am glad to see that Day6 are continuing to change up their video concepts. I was concerned for the first part of the year when their first three singles seemed to follow very similar styles and presentation. This particular video is probably one of my favourite of theirs this year. The video, which has a story to it, focuses mainly on Sungjin. He and the band are playing on stage at a party when his eyes meet a girl’s across the room. They recognise each other, and instantly he is reminded of the past. We don’t get a lot of clues about their relationship, and the girl seems to convey the idea of a girlfriend, rather than showing any specific affections to any of the members. Suddenly, we are brought back to the party, and Sungjin, with the rest of Day6, seem to be performing just for her. We slowly get to see Sungjin’s face, and he alone smiles.

The story is very simple, but works effectively for this song. It would be difficult to show exactly the sentiment raised in the lyrics but I think this video did an admirable job of showing us the hidden pain and heartbreak that exists long after a relationship ends, even if you know that it’s for the best.

The only criticism I have for the video is that there is not enough shots of Dowoon. Because he doesn’t sing, it’s easy to overlook his scenes, and utilise some of the other members instead. This is a common thread through Day6’s videos this year, but because this video shows the members in isolated shots more, the lack of Dowoon’s presence is particularly noticeable.

Summary

My favourite of Day6’s releases to date. It’s sweet and a little bitter all at once. It is a ballad, but doesn’t feel out of place after the super upbeat “Dance Dance”. Go buy their album now, and you can thank me later.

For the recommendations, I would wholeheartedly recommend listening to their covers. They do some fantastic covers of both kpop and western songs. Other than that, our personal recommendations are: